Why local adventures?
2020 has presented some unique opportunities in all areas. Some would call them “challenges” …..but at any rate, things have changed a lot from what we were used to. I normally plan our entire year out. This past year though, none of those plans came to fruition. I have tried to find new ways to have local adventures. Some have been at home, and some out and about, but the adventures have been adjusted to be outdoors, and socially distanced.
Local (at home or not far from home) adventures can provide a sense of getting out and seeing things but in a safer way than what we had done on prior adventures (pre-covid). My goal is still building family traditions and at the same time as I always have, and giving my boys a sense of adventure to try out new places. We have gotten a little creative with it is all.
What we learned in 2020…
I believe that there is a lesson in every situation. I have learned that is that our family had very much taken many things for granted. To be able to safely go into basically anywhere, to freely travel, and to go out around other people were things that we never really thought about not having. One thing that I tried to consider is that yes, things are different, but there are still some good times to be had. Our family is home together, and we are thankful for that. Our busy and overscheduled routine has been drastically reduced, and we have had more time to be together as a family. Also, individually we have been able to focus on projects that we never had time to get to just relax in general.
I am sharing some fun things that anyone can do in any state to have some socially distanced adventures. It is helpful to checkout from regular life and take a little break.
1. MAKE A FIRE
You can do this in many places. Just last week my little family went out after dinner and had some fun around the fire. Firepits do not have to be fancy. We literally have a $25 small fire pit that you can purchase just about anywhere. Bring out a few chairs, and a TV table. It is so much fun for the kids to help to build the fire (at the same time learning about fire safety), and we enjoyed experimenting with different types of smores. You can try smores with Reese’s cups and Hershey bars or Andes Candies. Hanging out, and having great conversation makes for some good quality time for my family while being right in your backyard. We have aspirations in the future to build a larger fire pit area with benches and inviting over a few family or friends.
2. VISIT STATE PARKS
If you are living in the United States you may or may not know that we are so very fortunate to have access to more than 10,000 state park areas. These are wonderful places to have local adventures. Many have camping areas, wonderful trails, and many treasures to be found. Spending a few days in a state park is great, or if time doesn’t allow, find one locally to explore for the day. Walk, picnic, camp, swim, explore, canoe or kayak….this list of things to do at a state park is limitless and it is the perfect place to spend some time. The greater thing is that no two parks are alike so you could spend a lifetime finding new parks. Also, these activities are quite inexpensive.
3. INDOOR MOVIE NIGHT
Covid or not, one of our favorite indoor activities is movie night. We try and do it at least every week or two. We will find a movie on one of the streaming platforms, or order DVD’s, or sometimes find a movie on TV. Normally I try to vary what we pick so that there is something for everyone. I am an old movie buff and often you can only find newer or repetitive movies on the streaming services. So, I use the DVD service to find those oldies. We make popcorn, sometimes share a little candy, and there you have it…. movie night! To vary it up a bit, we have had ice cream sundae night and appetizer night instead of popcorn. Whatever you choose, turn out the lights and enjoy the show! Socially distanced and right from the comfort of your home.
4. TAKE A TOUR OF THE ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS IN YOUR STATE
Some may find this type of adventure a little cheesy, but I personally think it is so much fun. Finding roadside attractions is like a scavenger hunt. You can make it into a fun day of exploring an area to see what you find while making good memories. It is always quite amusing to find the weird and random statues all over the U.S. and of course, take a picture with them! Fun memories! Here in Virginia, there is a huge selection of “LOVE” signs. Everywhere in Virginia where we travel, I look for love signs. It is so interesting because I have never seen any two of the signs close to the same. If you are not near Virginia, I bet there are some fun roadside attractions to find. Make a day of it, get a fun lunch out, and make some memories!
5. OUTDOOR ADVENTURE PARKS
As my kids grow older, we are new to exploring this activity. These types of parks seem to be popping up all over the place. There are a variety of outdoor adventure parks that include climbing, ropes courses, zip lines, etc. On a camping trip that we took last year, my husband and boys tried one of these out. I definitely recommend waiting until the kids are a bit older to do this. My youngest tried this out at age 7, and although he had experienced smaller zip lines, this course was a bit of a challenge for him. In the end, he did enjoy it, but it took getting over a few fears to get to that point. If you are up for a day of socially distanced adventure, then this type of activity is definitely for you.
6. FIND A DRIVE-IN THEATER
Another one of the great local adventures is the drive-in movies! This is an old school activity that is making a comeback. As a child, I frequently visited a local drive-in. Sadly, these were quickly becoming a thing of the past in more recent years. Over the years the U.S. used to be full of drive-in theaters, but now there are only a little over 300. This could be one good thing to come out of the covid pandemic, it has inspired quite a few pop-up drive-ins! In our area, we are very fortunate to have a newer drive-in theater. We try to go up as often as we can to enjoy a double feature, have some great food and snacks (much cheaper than indoor theaters!), a fun playground for the kids, and a double feature. Try to find a drive-in near your area, I highly recommend anyone of all ages to try it out. So much fun!
I hope that these ideas will help inspire you to get out (or in!) and find a local adventure to enjoy. Check out my post here on updating your bucket list! Let your brain go crazy about the adventures that you could have. We may be in a difficult time, but that does not mean that we cannot find adventures in our lives. Go out and find a new one now!
Carrie Pankratz says
These are great ideas. This year has forced us to explore locations close to home. I never realized we had so many beautiful destinations nearby to explore. I love the fire pit idea. We got a smores maker and used it in the backyard, but I would love to put a built-in firepit one day. I need to look into the outdoor adventure parks. I think we have one near us and my kids would love it!